Congress has cut federal funding for public media — a $3.4 million loss for LAist. We count on readers like you to protect our nonprofit newsroom. Become a monthly member and sustain local journalism.
2016 ended with 89 police shootings in LA County — 1 every 4 days
Listen
• 0:41
An LAPD police officer in uniform, with gun holstered.
(
Maya Sugarman/KPCC
)
Police officers and sheriff's deputies in Los Angeles County were involved in 89 shootings last year, according to the L.A. District Attorney's office. The number includes people who were wounded and those killed by a police officer's bullet.
Eight-nine incidents in one year breaks down to approximately one shooting every four days in L.A. County.
That tally is identical to 2015's total, and it's in line with totals from recent years. While the circumstances of police shootings vary dramatically, they happen often around Los Angeles.
The DA's data shows 1,442 officer-involved shootings over the last 16 years. The number of shootings hit a recent high in 2013, at 111.
Support for LAist comes from
The DA's count includes on and off-duty incidents, among them high-profile police shootings from 2016. Those included a man shot while driving his car in El Monte and a string of shootings in Watts that led to community outrage.
One of the most controversial incidents was the killing of Jesse Romero, a 14 year-old who was shot to death in Boyle Heights by LAPD officers. A loaded gun was found at the scene.
The District Attorney investigates each shooting in the county for criminal charges. But the law grants officers broad leeway in their decision to shoot, and no officer has been charged in connection with a shooting since 2000 in Los Angeles County.
The DA's count doesn't capture significant details such as which law enforcement agencies were involved, if a shooting was fatal, and the race of the people shot.
A KPCC review of hundreds of L.A. County police shootings between 2010 and 2014 found that one in four people shot by police was unarmed, and that black Angelenos were shot at a far higher rate than other races.
In addition to police shootings, the DA investigates in-custody deaths, which is when an officer or deputy uses force on a suspect or inmate who later dies.
Support for LAist comes from
There were just four in-custody deaths in L.A. County in 2016 – the lowest total in at least 16 years, according to DA spokesman Greg Risling. There were 10 in-custody deaths in 2015.
Fatal shootings far higher than other areas
While the number of shootings has been relatively steady in L.A. County, nationwide data suggests that the number of deaths at the hands of law enforcement is high in Southern California.
The Guardian newspaper tracks deaths involving law enforcement, including how many people were killed by specific agencies.
Its data shows 19 people were fatally shot by the Los Angeles Police Department last year, the highest figure for any agency in the nation. The analysis also shows that Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department deputies fatally shot 16 people, the second highest tally of any agency in the nation.
High numbers of shootings aren't surprising for the LAPD and sheriff's department, which have among the most sworn officers of any local law enforcement agency in the country. But police in Chicago and New York recorded fewer shooting deaths, even with more sworn officers at each agency.
The 2016 data repeated a pattern seen in the Guardian's 2015 data. It showed that the LAPD and sheriff's department also fatally shot more people than other law enforcement agencies in the U.S. that year as well.
As Editor-in-Chief of our newsroom, I’m extremely proud of the work our top-notch journalists are doing here at LAist. We’re doing more hard-hitting watchdog journalism than ever before — powerful reporting on the economy, elections, climate and the homelessness crisis that is making a difference in your lives. At the same time, it’s never been more difficult to maintain a paywall-free, independent news source that informs, inspires, and engages everyone.
Simply put, we cannot do this essential work without your help. Federal funding for public media has been clawed back by Congress and that means LAist has lost $3.4 million in federal funding over the next two years. So we’re asking for your help. LAist has been there for you and we’re asking you to be here for us.
We rely on donations from readers like you to stay independent, which keeps our nonprofit newsroom strong and accountable to you.
No matter where you stand on the political spectrum, press freedom is at the core of keeping our nation free and fair. And as the landscape of free press changes, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust, but the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news from our community.
Please take action today to support your trusted source for local news with a donation that makes sense for your budget.
Thank you for your generous support and believing in independent news.
Chip in now to fund your local journalism
(
LAist
)
Trending on LAist
-
The L.A. City Council approved the venue change Wednesday, which organizers say will save $12 million in infrastructure costs. -
Taxes on the sale of some newer apartment buildings would be lowered under a plan by Sacramento lawmakers to partially rein in city Measure ULA.
-
The union representing the restaurant's workers announced Tuesday that The Pantry will welcome back patrons Thursday after suddenly shutting down six months ago.
-
If approved, the more than 62-acre project would include 50 housing lots and a marina less than a mile from Jackie and Shadow's famous nest overlooking the lake.
-
The U.S. Supreme Court lifted limits on immigration sweeps in Southern California, overturning a lower court ruling that prohibited agents from stopping people based on their appearance.
-
Censorship has long been controversial. But lately, the issue of who does and doesn’t have the right to restrict kids’ access to books has been heating up across the country in the so-called culture wars.
Best of LAist